Fragrance Walk and the Botany of Opium Trade
Sat, 04 Jul
|Lal Bagh
This curated botanical walk introduces the trees in Lal Bagh that were used to build East India Company's opium smuggling ships.
Time & Location
04 Jul 2026, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Lal Bagh, Mavalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560004, India
About the event
Botany of Opium Trade is botanical walk about tea, opium, and teak that helped establish trade dominance for East India Company in South Asia. This walk will introduce the tree species inside Lal Bagh that have been used to build ships before and after British.
As humans we can't swim across oceans. Neither can trees. Together we are able to collaborate and cross the seven seas.
Under the lure of trees, humans have built ships to carry them across continents. Though unable to walk, through ships some tree species have gained global mobility in geography and human society.
These walks are one of many designed to erase tree blindness and introduce Lal Bagh’s tree diversity.
ABOUT ME
My name is Abhishek Khan. I am a research based artist, designer, and storyteller under the pen name: Hand Jobs Inc. As a designer I have designed the brand identity for General Items
I started Lalbagh.info website as a free public archive of Lal Bagh flowers. The website now hosts Flower Finder, and self-guided Fragrance Walk.
You can also subscribe to my Flower Calendar via Google Calendar here.
This is my botanical storytelling project and has been featured in
I have conducted walks in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Vancouver. I have researched, written and performed scripts like
Lores of Haunted Trees
Botany of Opium Ships
Botany of Indian Literature
Botany of Alcohol
Botany of Psychedelics
Botany of Lovemaking
Mafia of House Plants
INSTRUCTIONS
- Please arrive by 3:55 pm
- Garden has parking, please arrive earlier for parking and walking to gate from parking lot. - In case of rain, walk proceeds as scheduled. No refunds are provided for rain.
Suggested Carry Materials
Refillable Water Bottle (no single use plastic)
Umbrella (in case of rain)
Sun hat
Sunglasses
Handkerchief
Small Basket to collect flowers/botanicals (optional)
Snack (optional)
If you happen to be late, WhatsApp me for live location. No calls, as I would be amidst a very dramatic tale.
NOT ALLOWED
As per Horticulture Dept.
DSLR cameras
Single use plastic bottle
REFUND POLICY
No refunds. Unused tickets can be use for any future walks or transferred to a friend. Transfer to enemies is not allowed. In case of rain, walk proceeds as scheduled. No refunds are provided for rain.
